With the advent of the intra-office digital communication link, intended to serve a plurality of computer terminals, need has arisen for an effective system of interconnecting each of the computer terminals to provide data transmission therebetween. Example of systems where data communication is established between several computer terminals in a single office or adjoining offices is local area networks (LANS) especially the Ethernet and Thinnet system of the Xerox Corporation.
The cable used to serve computer terminals in a LAN system is typically a coaxial cable having an insulated center conductor, a non-insulated drain wire, an electrically conductive shield and an outer insulated jacket. Various connector designs have been used to make connections to this type of coaxial cable. One series of connectors requires stripping of the outer insulative jacket separating the shield, the drain wire and the insulative conductor and further stripping of the insulative conductor to make effective electrical connection. Other approaches include insulation displacing techniques which will make connection to the cable without necessity for stripping the outer insulative jacket.
While insulation displacing techniques are desirable, in that they alleviate the need for time consuming manual cable stripping, it is difficult to pierce through the outer insulation and make contact with the center conductor without also engaging the outer conductive shield. For effective data transmission it is desirable to electrically isolate the conductive shield from the center conductor. An example of a coaxial tap connector having an insulation displacing drive pin is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,859, issued Dec. 28, 1982. However, the drive pin contacts both the center conductor and the conductive shield.
An alternative approach to the drive pin type insulation displacing coaxial tap, shown in the '859 patent is a coaxial cable connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,391, issued Sept. 4, 1984, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This connector includes an insulation displacing fork type contact member used to electrically engage the center conductor of the coaxial cable. This device also accommodates in electrical isolation from the center conductor, the drain wire and conductive shield of the coaxial cable. This connector is especially useful for connecting flat coaxial cable of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,425, issued Sept. 13, 1983, and also assigned to assignee of the present invention. While this connector effectively connects coaxial cable of this type, an installing tool is required to insert the center conductor into insulation displacing engagement with the electrical contact. Further, once terminated, the center conductor is not seated against the insulation displacing portions of the contact. Heavy vibration could jar loose the conductor from its insulation displacing connection with the contact. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an insulating displacing coaxial tap which requires no installing tools and which effectively secures the center conductor against the insulation displacing portions of the contact.